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Samuel Lover
Samuel Lover (24 February 1797 - 6 July 1868) was an Irish poet, songwriter, and novelist. Life Overview Lover was a painter of portraits, chiefly miniatures. He produced a number of Irish songs, of which several – including "The Angel's Whisper," "Molly Bawn," and "The Four-leaved Shamrock" – attained great popularity. He also wrote some novels, of which Rory O'More (originally a ballad) and Handy Andy are the best known, and short Irish sketches, which, with his songs, he combined into a popular entertainment called Irish Nights. He joined with Dickens in founding Bentley's magazine.John William Cousin, "Lover, Samuel," A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London: Dent / New York: Dutton, 1910, 245. Wikisource, Web, Feb. 7, 2018. Youth and education Lover was born at number 60 Grafton Street, Dublin, the eldest son of a Dublin stockbroker. He went to school at Samuel Whyte's at 79 Grafton Street.Samuel Lover, Wikipedia, October 23, 2016, Wikimedia Foundation. Web, Feb. 19, 2017. As a child of extraordinary precocity of talent, which he showed chiefly in his aptitude for music, he was in his youth the idol of his father. However, even after he began working in his father's office at 13, he spent all his leisure time on drawing, music, and theatrical entertainments, to which his father objected;Lover, Samuel, Compendium of Irish Biography, 1878. Library Ireland, Web, Feb. 19, 2017. and frequent quarrels between father and son eventually led to a complete rupture. Career At the age of 17 Lover determined to earn his livelihood as a painter. His natural and acquired capacity for art was already considerable, and the judgment of one of his eulogists, after his death, ascribes to him higher artistic than literary talent (Temple Bar, vol. xxiv.). Applying himself industriously to portraiture, especially to miniature-painting, he achieved sufficient success to secure in 1828 election to the Royal Hibernian Academy, a body to which, 2 years later, he became secretary.Falkiner, 176. Meantime Lover gave the first evidence of his powers as a songwriter and reciter, when, on the occasion of the Moore banquet in 1818, he produced a lively eulogy on Moore, which won for him the friendship of the poet, and the entrée into the liveliest social circles in Dublin. His first effort at prose literature, a paper on "Ballads and Singers" contributed to the Dublin Literary Gazette, showed the bent of his literary taste, and in 1826 he produced the best known of his many ballads, "Rory O'More."Falkiner, 177. Lover married in 1827 a daughter of a Dublin architect named Berrel, who died while he was in America in 1847. In 1831 he published his debut volume — Legends and Stories of Ireland —illustrated by himself, which had an immediate success; but down to 1833 his brush continued to be his chief occupation and resource. In 1831 he furnished the admirable illustrations to the Irish Horn Book, which still make that otherwise ephemeral brochure a prize among collectors. In the following year the visit of Paganini to Dublin gave him the opportunity of producing by far the most successful of his miniatures. This painting, exhibited at the Dublin Academy in 1832, attracted much notice in the Royal Academy in 1833. In 1833 he allied himself more seriously with literature, as one of the founders of the Dublin University Magazine, to which he contributed several of his Irish tales. In 1835 he moved to London, where he established himself as a miniature-painter, and became sufficiently the fashion to be employed to paint the ambassador of the king of Oude on his visit to London, and Lord Brougham in his chancellor's robes. Lover soon became as acceptable in London literary and art circles as he had previously been in those of Dublin. He was an habitué of Lady Blessington's receptions, and became known to Dickens and others, with whom he was associated in the founding of Bentley's Miscellany. In 1837 he published a novel, Rory O'More: A national romance, suggested by his song of the same name, and it earned him the praise of Dr. Maginn, who described him as "at once a musician, a painter, a novelist, and a poet" (Blackwood, vol. xli.). To this catalog of his capacities the title dramatist was soon to be added. His dramatised version of his own novel (with the Irish comedian, Tyrone Power, in the principal part) held the stage at the Adelphi Theatre for over 100 nights. Lover followed up this success with other dramatic essays: The White Horse of the Peppards, The Happy Man, The Olympic Premier, and The Beau Ideal. He also composed a musical drama, The Greek Boy; and a burlesque opera, Il Paddy Whack in Italia, was produced by Balfe at the English Opera House. Continuing his work in other fields, Lover produced in 1839 his Songs and Ballads; the second and best known of his novels, Handy Andy, in 1842, and the third, L.S.D. (more familiar by its later title of Treasure Trove) in 1844. Lover still found time to paint; but in 1844 failing eyesight obliged him to abandon art. About the same time he was entertained at Grillon's Club by 40 Irish members of the House of Commons. To repair the loss of income due to his abandonment of painting, Lover devised an entertainment which he called Irish Evenings, and produced it at the Princess's Concert Rooms. The performance, enacted solely by himself, was a varied monologue of songs, recitations, and stories, all of Lover's own invention. In 1846, he repeated the entertainment in America. In Canada and in the United States, except at Boston, he achieved complete success; and while on the tour he composed one of his most successful songs, "The Alabama," which won him the praise of Washington Irving and the American statesman Henry Clay. In 1848 Lover returned to London, and gave the English public the results of his tour in a new entertainment called Paddy's Portfolio. He then resumed his earlier occupations, producing the libretti of two operas for Balfe, and a fresh dramatic piece Sentinels of the Alma. In 1852 Lover married the daughter of a Cambridgeshire squire named Wandby. After his second marriage, he mainly devoted himself to song-writing. In 1858 he produced his selection of Irish lyrics; and in 1859 tried his hand as a parodist in Rival Rhymes, by "Ben Trovato," a parallel to ''Rejected Addresses''. His imitations of Campbell, Longfellow, and others were not particularly happy. In the same year his Volunteer Songs deservedly met with a heartier reception; and as a representative Irishman of letters he responded for Irish poets at the Burns Festival. In 1864 his health failed, and thenceforward he ceased to write. He resumed residence in Dublin some years prior to his death, which took place at St. Heliers, whither he had gone on the advice of his physicians, on 6 July 1868. He was buried at Kensal Green. Writing Lover possessed those typical qualities usually called Irish. As a poet who could set his own verses to music, a painter who could use his art to illustrate novels of his own invention, and the possessor of an imagination sufficiently fertile to evolve from a single theme, "Rory O'More," a popular ballad, a popular novel, and a popular play, he may be accounted the most versatile man of his day. But he never reached a great height in any department of his many-sided efforts.Falkiner, 178. His songs have been praised as having "much of the rich caprice and not a little of the force of passion;" but, wide as was their vogue, most of them are forgotten. His dramas have failed to hold the stage. His novels will, no doubt, be remembered for their genuine Irish raciness. Despite his talents, his contributions to literature are only those of a second-rate Lever and a third-rate Moore. Quotations "When once the itch of literature comes over a man, nothing can cure it but the scratching of a pen." Recognition A memorial in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin summarises Lover's achievements: :Poet, painter, novelist and composer, who, in the exercise of a genius as distinguished in its versatility as in its power, by his pen and pencil illustrated so happily the characteristics of the peasantry of his country that his name will ever be honourably identified with Ireland. Publications Poetry and songs *''Songs and Ballads. New York: Wiley & Putname, 1847.Songs and Ballads (1847), Internet Archive. Web, Mar. 16, 2013. *The Poetical Works of Samuel Lover. London: Routledge, 1868.The Poetical Works of Samuel Lover (1868), Internet Archive. Web, Mar. 16, 2013. Plays *Dramatic Works. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1902.Dramatic Works (1902), Internet Archive. Web, Mar. 16, 2013. Fiction *Treasure trove: the first of a series of accounts of Irish heirs ; being a romantic Irish tale .... London: Frederick Lover, 1844.Treasure trove: the first of a series of accounts of Irish heirs ; being a romantic Irish tale ... (1844), Internet Archive. Web, Mar. 16, 2013. **republished as ''Treasure Trove, or He Would be a Gentleman. Boston: Little Brown, 1902.Treasure Trove, or He Would be a Gentleman (1902), Internet Archive. Web, Mar. 16, 2013. *''Rory O'More: A national romance'' (illustrated by the author). New York: Burgess & Garrett, 1851.Rory O'More: A national romance (1851), Internet Archive. Web, Mar. 16, 2013. *''Legends and Stories of Ireland. London: A. Constable, 1899.Legends and Stories of Ireland (1899), Internet Archive. Web, Mar. 16, 2013. *Further Stories of Ireland. London: A. Constable, 1899.Further Stories of Ireland (1899), Internet Archive. Web, Mar. 16, 2013. *''Handy Andy: A tale of Irish life. (2 volumes), Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1901. Volume I, Volume II Edited * The Lyrics of Ireland. London: Houlston & Wright, 1858.The Lyrics of Ireland (1858), Internet Archive. Web, Mar. 16, 2013. See also *List of Irish poets *List of English-language songwriters References * . Web, Feb. 19, 2017. Notes External links ;Poems *Lover in A Victorian Anthology, 1837-1895: "Rory O’More; Or, Good Omens," "Widow Machree" *Samuel Lover at Poetry Nook (10 poems) *Samuel Lover at My Poetic Side (profile & 39 poems) *Samuel Lover at PoemHunter (43 poems) ;Books * *Works by Samuel Lover at the Internet Archive ;Audio / video *Samuel Lover at YouTube ;About *Lover, Samuel in A Compendium of Irish Biography *Samuel Lover at Ricorso * Lover, Samuel Category:1797 births Category:1868 deaths Category:Irish novelists Category:Irish songwriters Category:Irish painters